2012 Fantasy Football Draft: Forum PPR Fantasy Mock Draft

July 27, 2012.

This is a 2012 Fantasy Football PPR Mock Draft I took part in with 11 other members of the forum. As usual, I'll have analysis of my picks, as well as the best and worst selections from each two rounds.

Just a heads up that we have 2012 Fantasy Football Mock Drafts every Wednesday evening. Check out the fantasy mock draft thread for details.

MY PICKS, ROUNDS 1-2: Ugh. I hate Maurice Jones-Drew this year, yet I took him for some reason at No. 8 overall. He was the second on my list of best players available - you can see my 2012 Fantasy Football Top 250 PPR Cheat Sheet here - but I thought there was a better chance of Andre Johnson lasting until 2.05 than Jones-Drew. My plan was to snag Johnson on the way back, though I now regret not trying to acquire Johnson, or even a safer bet in Larry Fitzgerald.

Wes Welker is a PPR monster, so even though Fitzgerald wasn't there, I was happy with him at 2.05.

BEST PICKS, ROUNDS 1-2: Fitzgerald was a steal at 2.03, as I was considering him at 1.08. Meanwhile, I really liked two picks at the end of the second round: Darren Sproles and Hakeem Nicks were great finds there.

WORST PICKS, ROUNDS 1-2: If you're wondering, MD4L took two tight ends because of a RB/WR/TE flex. I'm not opposed to the strategy if both players are worthy, but was Jimmy Graham really the best player available at 2.01? Some people like him a lot this year, but I would be cautious about all Saint players because they may not be completely mentally focused in the wake of Bountygate.

Otherwise, the worst picks in the first two rounds were Ryan Mathews and DeMarco Murray. Mathews and Murray are way too injury-prone to go that high.

MY PICKS, ROUNDS 3-4: Some receivers I wanted were taken in front of me (Greg Jennings, Percy Harvin, A.J. Green), but Dez Bryant was still the best player available.

And ugh... yeah, Steven Jackson. He was actually one of my top players available because he catches a ton of passes. That trend will continue because Sam Bradford has no receivers at his disposal.

BEST PICKS, ROUNDS 3-4: How did Greg Jennings last until 3.03? I also really loved a number of other selections in the third round, especially Julio Jones (3.01), Percy Harvin (3.04), Matthew Stafford (3.06) and Cam Newton (3.11). Fred Jackson was a steal in Round 4.

WORST PICKS, ROUNDS 3-4: I don't like the Shonn Greene choice at all; I feel that it's just reaching for a running back. Greene won't get any goal-line carries this year.

It should be noted that JamaicaKings didn't mean to take Adrian Peterson at 3.04. He wanted Steven Jackson, but the timer ran out.

MY PICKS, ROUNDS 5-6: I was pretty surprised that Dwayne Bowe was still available. He's a solid flex. Eli Manning, meanwhile, is a perfect fantasy quarterback selection in Round 6.

BEST PICKS, ROUNDS 5-6: I was hoping Antonio Gates would drop to me. He's a steal in the fifth round. The quarterback selections were good too; if you can't get Aaron Rodgers or Tom Brady in the first round (or Matthew Stafford or Cam Newton in the third), you might as well wait until Round 6 to snag Manning, Philip Rivers or Tony Romo.

WORST PICKS, ROUNDS 5-6: Vincent Jackson has never caught more than 68 passes in any season, so it's hard to like him in the fifth round of a PPR mock. Also, it seems way too early for C.J. Spiller, who's just a backup in Buffalo at the present moment.

MY PICKS, ROUNDS 7-8: BenJarvus Green-Ellis won't catch (m)any passes, but he's still a starting running back available in Round 7. He'll score touchdowns and get me points that way. He's a decent RB3 - check the 2012 Fantasy Football Running Back Rankings - so I was content to grab him there. Toby Gerhart caught a decent amount of passes toward the end of the 2011 season, even before Adrian Peterson got hurt, so I really like him in the eighth round.

BEST PICKS, ROUNDS 7-8: I wanted Jahvid Best, Jonathan Stewart or Stevan Ridley at 7.08, but they were all chosen earlier in the round. Ridley was really intriguing because Joseph Addai was cut hours beforehand.

WORST PICKS, ROUNDS 7-8: How does Ronnie Hillman go before Willis McGahee? John Fox hates rookies, so it's doubtful that Hillman will see much action. I'm also not a fan of Peyton Hillis in Round 8; he's a backup and a mediocre one at best. Meanwhile, Chris Wells and Ryan Williams in the same round seems rather strange.

MY PICKS, ROUNDS 9-10: Meh, nothing exciting. Jacquizz Rodgers will catch passes in Atlanta. He'll be on the field more with Michael Turner in decline. And Miguel Lobsterbush is decent value in Round 10 as a WR4.

BEST PICKS, ROUNDS 9-10: QB Dog Killer in Round 9!? Now this is something I can get behind. I hate the guy as a person and a football player, but he's great value at 9.01. Not that this was a best pick; I just never thought I wouldn't berate a QBDK selection.

I was jealous of the Tim Hightower pick. It's looking like he's going to start for the Redskins. Also, Nate Washington is someone I have to move up my 2012 Fantasy Football Wide Receiver Rankings because of Kenny Britt's expected suspension.

WORST PICKS, ROUNDS 9-10: Nothing too bad here, though Michael Floyd was taken too early in the wake of the news that he's been really struggling in practices.

MY PICKS, ROUNDS 11-12: Shane Vereen, like Stevan Ridley, is very intriguing because Joseph Addai was just released. And of course, Tim Tebow. He's the perfect backup for Eli Manning because he'll be starting when Manning's bye rolls around (Week 11), and he'll get rushing touchdowns until then.

BEST PICKS, ROUNDS 11-12: Alex Green has a good chance of starting this year. He was another player I was considering at 11.08. Meanwhile, Vincent Brown and Rashad Jennings offer lots of upside this late.

WORST PICKS, ROUNDS 11-12: Alshon Jeffery apparently doesn't understand the playbook, so he seems like a wasted pick at 11.11. And I think I'd rather have Kendall Hunter over LaMichael James, but who knows with that situation?

The Eagles play the crappy Browns in Week 1, while Rob Bironas is a solid fantasy kicker.

BEST PICKS, ROUNDS 13-15: Isaiah Pead is a nice choice at 13.04 because Steven Jackson is due to get hurt, given how many touches he's had over his career.

Hurricane Ditka made a big deal about Earl Bennett being a sleeper of his. Some thought it was disappointing, but it makes sense to me. Jay Cutler loves Bennett. With Alshon Jeffery struggling, Bennett could have a decent season.

WORST PICKS, ROUNDS 13-15: I'm not going to hate much on selections made in the final few rounds, but Emmanuel Sanders, Andy Dalton and Steve Breaston offer very limited fantasy upside.